Tuesday, October 25, 2016

On Being a Learner

"In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the
earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world
that no longer exists."--Eric Hoffer quoted by Jeanne Liedtka, professor
of Business Administration, Darden School at the University of Virginia.

Let me provide two disclaimers at the beginning of this
discussion. First, my undergraduate
education was in History with a minor in Religion and Philosophy, so I have
always been interested in the past and how we got from there to here. I still think we need to understand the
implications and lessons of our history in order to make good decisions about
the present and future. Second, I am
currently blessed to serve as an adjunct faculty member for a theological
seminary with many learned and gifted colleagues. Most of their disciplines are thoroughly
rooted in the past—theology, history, biblical studies. Again, if we are to understand who we are
now, we need to have a grasp of how got here.

With that established, I would argue that Hoffer (and Liedtka,
by association) are not suggesting that our history is not unimportant or that
we should ignore learning about it. They
are arguing that we should be present in the moment. We stand on the shoulders of those who have
gone before but we are not limited by their experiences. We have our own experiences upon which to build.

The truth of the quote is that if we rest on our laurels, that
is, only value what we have learned in the past, we miss the opportunities of
the present. We must immerse ourselves
in the reality of the now in order to respond to its challenges.

From a Christian perspective, the church has always been in the
process of learning. When the early
disciples engaged the Greco-Roman culture of their day, they took advantage of
language, philosophy, and law to articulate more clearly their message so that
they might that engage the people of their day. They did this not in their own power but in
the power of the Spirit.

In the upper room discourses in John’s gospel, we read the words
of Jesus preparing his disciples to engage the world:

“Very
truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing,
and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the
Father.” (John 14:12, NIV)

It
is not too bold to say that Jesus expected his disciples to learn, grow, adapt
and listen to the leadership of the Spirit in order to be faithful to his
mandate of sharing the Good News.

To be a Christian learner, one respects the past but is not
bound by it. Rather, the Christian “dances in the moment” and responds to the
insights of the Spirit of God in order to bring in the Kingdom of God. In so doing, the church is renewed,
refreshed, and repurposed for the challenges of the day.

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About Me

I consider myself an itinerant educator. My time is spent in encouraging and equipping ministers through my work with the Central Baptist Seminary and Pinnacle Leadership Associates. I also do volunteer work with my church in the area of leader development. Other time is devoted to reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with grandchildren and my wife, Rita.